1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a simulation apparatus for breeding a virtual creature by performing a treatment in respect of a call from the virtual creature, or even if there is no call or request from the virtual creature, by a player voluntarily taking care of the virtual creature.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, various electronic game apparatuses for raising a pet such as a dog or a cat in a predetermined screen, have been proposed and sold. There have been known conventional electronic game apparatuses of this kind disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. JP-A-7-261962 or Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. JP-A-7-281819.
According to a conventional example disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. JP-A-7-261962, a light emitting element and a light receiving element are installed to a main body of an apparatus and infrared ray emitted from the light emitting element is reflected by hand or the like and received by the light receiving element by noncontact operation of a user (player). Further, data of a plurality of patterns of dog characters and biorhythms of dog characters are stored in a memory and accordingly, data of the dog characters in correspondence with a number of times of the noncontact operation and a biorhythm of the day are selectively read from the memory and are displayed. Thereby, a character image in correspondence with physical condition of the dog character can be selectively displayed.
According to the conventional example disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. JP-A-7-28189, a light emitting element and a light receiving element are installed to a main body of an apparatus and infrared ray from the light emitting element is reflected by hand or the like and received by the light receiving element by noncontact operation of a user by which a noncontact operation distance is detected. Further, a plurality of kinds of dog character data where motion of a dog is changed such as a looking-back dog or a paw-raising dog or the like and effective sound data are stored in a memory and accordingly, the dog character data are selectively read and displayed in correspondence with the noncontact operation distance and the effective sound thereof is emitted from a speaker. In this way, the character image in compliance with a gesticular order by the hand of the user can selectively displayed.
However, according to both of the above-described conventional examples, instruction is issued to a character image by a unilateral order from the user and there has been no example where a player breeds a creature taking the state of the character image into consideration.
The present invention has been devised in view of the above drawbacks and it is an object of the present invention to provide a simulation apparatus for breeding a virtual creature where a player responds to call or request from a virtual creature in a screen and conducts treatment in correspondence thereto, or even if there is no call or request from the virtual creature, a player voluntarily takes care of the virtual creature, by which the virtual creature is disciplined or the virtual creature is grown while performing a training thereby breeding the virtual creature.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a simulation apparatus for breeding a virtual creature where the following conditions are provided to achieve the above-described object.
That is, the present invention is constituted by:
(a) provision of inputting means for inputting treatments in respect of breeding a virtual creature;
(b) provision of a storing unit for storing control data in respect of breeding the virtual creature;
(c) provision of a control unit for conducting a control treatment in respect of breeding the virtual creature based on the read control data by reading a corresponding control data from the storing unit when a treatment in respect of breeding the virtual creature is inputted from the inputting means;
(d) provision of a virtual creature display unit for displaying the fostered virtual creature;
(e) the control unit is provided with a setting means for setting 1 or more of growth stages in accordance with growth of the virtual creature;
(f) the storing unit stores a plurality of kinds of virtual creatures having at least different appearances in respect of each of the growth stages;
(g) the control unit is provided with determining means for determining the contents of the treatments in respect of breeding the virtual creature in the growth procedure until then when virtual creature reaches one of the growth stages;
(h) the control unit is provided with selecting means for selecting one virtual creature from the plurality of kinds of virtual creatures stored based on a result of determination by the determining means; and
(i) the control means is provided with changing means for changing the virtual creature which has reached one of the growth stages to the selected virtual creature.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a simulation apparatus for breeding a virtual creature where the following conditions are added to the above-described first aspect of the present invention.
That is, the present invention further includes the following conditions:
(a) the storing unit stores a plurality of kinds of virtual creatures having different appearances and personalities at each of the growth stages;
(b) the inputting means is provided with a means for taking care of the virtual creature with the content necessary for growing the virtual creature and a means for conducting a discipline; and
(c) the determining means determines a degree of care and a degree of discipline.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a simulation apparatus for breeding a virtual creature having the following conditions.
That is, the present invention comprises:
(a) provision of inputting means for inputting treatments in respect of breeding a virtual creature;
(b) provision of a storing unit for storing control data in respect of breeding the virtual creature;
(c) provision of a control unit for conducting a control treatment in respect of breeding the virtual creature based on the read control data by reading a corresponding control data when a treatment in respect of breeding the virtual creature is inputted from inputting means;
(d) provision of a virtual creature displaying unit for displaying the fostered virtual creature;
(e) the control unit is provided with setting means for setting 1 or more of growth stages in accordance with growth of the virtual creature;
(f) the storing unit stores a plurality of kinds of virtual creatures having at least different appearances at each of the growth stages;
(g) the control unit is provided with determining means for determining the contents of the treatments in respect of breeding the virtual creature in a growth procedure until then when the virtual creature reaches one of the growth stages;
(h) the control unit is provided with selecting means for selecting one virtual creature from the plurality of kinds of stored virtual creatures based on a result of determination by the determining means;
(i) the control unit is provided with changing means for changing the virtual creature which has reached the one of the growth stages into a selected virtual creature;
(j) provision of connecting means for electrically connecting to other simulation apparatus for breeding a virtual creature;
(k) provision of warring means for conducting a war based on battle data from the other simulation apparatus for breeding a virtual creature inputted via the connecting means and battle data from the simulation apparatus for breeding a virtual creature of its own; and
(l) the control unit is provided with win or lose determining means for determining win or lose of the war.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a simulation apparatus for breeding a virtual creature having the following conditions in addition to the conditions of the above-described fourth aspect. That is, the present invention further includes the following conditions:
(a) the storing unit stores a plurality of kinds of virtual creatures having different appearances and powers at each of the growth stages;
(b) the inputting means is provided with a means for taking care of the virtual creature with the content necessary for growing virtual creature and a means for conducting a training with the content necessary for promoting the power; and
(c) the determining means determines a degree of the care and a degree of the training.